The
First Five Seconds
He who is slow to anger is better
than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit
than he who takes a city.
Proverbs 16:32 (NKJV)
I’ve always appreciated this quote from Eleanor
Roosevelt, our thirty-second president’s wife: Anger is only one letter short
of danger.
How fast can we become angry? Maybe five seconds. But
it will only take about five seconds to whisper a prayer to God for help before
our anger escalates and we sin. The last statistic I heard is that one out of
five Americans has an anger management problem. Thankfully for believers, the
Holy Spirit is our ultimate anger management counselor.
Like cream, emotions rise to the top. And I’m not
talking about becoming angry when a fly lands in our cooking. I’m talking about
anger and destruction and explosions out of control, affecting others. God
knows all about our emotions--He created them. Even Jesus displayed righteous
anger in the temple. But God makes it clear we need to keep our offensive
emotions in check so they don’t erode our spirits.
Anger is
one of the most volatile and dangerous emotions. “Cease from anger, and forsake
wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.” (Psalm 37:8 NKJV) Let’s
train ourselves to be alert to the first sign of anger and cover it in prayer
in the first five seconds.
What actions can we take to be more Christ-like and
slow to anger? I believe it’s prayer. Ask God to reveal any areas of your life
where you are succumbing to anger. And then ask for help to receive and
demonstrate the fruit of the spirit—self-control.
Becky Van Vleet
Becky Van Vleet is a retired teacher and principal and award-winning multi-genre author. She has been published in Guideposts, The Country Register, and Christian Devotions Ministry. Her children’s picture books are the recipients of the 2020 Excellence in Editing award as well as the Purple Dragonfly award in 2020 and 2021. She and her husband make their home close to Colorado Springs where she enjoys gardening, hiking, oil painting, power walking, and spending time with her family, especially reading books to her grandchildren.
Becky is the author of Unintended Hero, a true
story about her father’s battles, experiences, and adventures in WWII aboard
the USS Denver. She is passionate about sharing the values from the
Greatest Generation and enjoys speaking to high school classes about
patriotism.
A member of ACFW and Allauthor, Becky has
devoted her website to creating and preserving family memories and sharing
family stories for the next generations through her monthly blogs.
You can find her at: https://beckyvanvleet.com.
She would love to hear from you, especially if you have a family story to share!
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